Stamp moistener



. May 21, 1929. J.RIUZE 1,713,625

STAMP MOISTENER Filed March 25, 1926 1a 20 A INVENTOR.

Ian/v fuzz 2 Z/ ATTORNEY.

Patented May 21, 1929i UNITED STATES JOHN RUZE, F

NEW YORK, N. Y.

r STAMP MOISTENER.

Application filed March 25, 1926. Serial No. 97,404.

This invention relates to stamp or label afiixing devices and has as its principal object the production of a novel and eflicient container wherein a roll of stamps or labels may be held and may be drawn over a moistened surface so that the gummed side of the stamp or label will be brought into contact therewith to facilitate the afiixing of the stamp or label to an envelope, package or other object. 7

A particular object of the invention is to provide a stamp or label moistener which can be made up out of a single piece of metal stock, whereby the same can be manufactured and sold at small cost to the consumer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stamp moistener and container for the stamp into which a roll of stamps or labels can be placed and from which they may be drawn off conveniently without resistance to be placed in position upon the object to'whichthey are to be attached, it

being understood that a flat strip of stamps can be used which can be laid over the top of the housing during the moistening opera tion. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide a compact stamp moistener having therein a reservoir and a moistening pad, the moistening pad having an extension thereon which is adapted by capillary attraction to draw the water from the reservoir to keep the pad constantly moistened so that the stamps or labels when drawn out of the container and across the moistening pad will be ready to be placed on the letter or like object.

A feature of my invention is the novel manner of shaping and arranging the various walls or sections so that they may be integral with each other, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture, as a stamping operation may be resorted to. Besides the above, my invention is distinguished in the relative arrangement and size of the various parts so that the active surface of the pad will be approximately in the same plane as the lip and ridge and substantially tangentially of the cylindrical housing, which arrangement facilitates the travel of the strip of stamps into proper contact with the pad and the lip in a manner to positively eliminate any tendency of the strip to bind. A novel feature of my invention is the relative size of the pad and its manner of support in an inclined position so that the return of liquid to the reservoir that may contaminate tlc 1 water in the reservoir is eliminated.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features of my invention that they in the various modifications in structure and relation contemplated, drawings depicting a preferred form have been annexed as a part of this disclosure and in such drawings similar reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout all of the views,

of which,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing the construction and arrangement of my improved stamp or label moistener.

Figure 2 is a view in cross section through the stamp or label moistener, illustrated in Figure 1, and shows the arrangement of the reservoir and moistening pad together with the stamp roll container.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 and shows the construction of the stamp roll container, and

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a blank after the same has been punched and from which my improved stamp moistener will be formed.

Referring to the drawings in detail 5 indicates a cylindrical housing, which at its bottom edge is suitably secured to the substantially circular portion 6 of the side piece 7 ofthe stamp moistener, the housing 5 being closed through the medium of a frictionally held cover 8 which is provided with a side opening 9, which when said cover is in place upon the housin coincides with the side opening or slot 10 ormed in the housing 5 and through which the stamps or labels are adapted to be drawn from the roll 11, which is disposed within the housing '5 and may frictionally engage the walls thereof due to its tendency to unroll, which is evident when the roll of stamps or labels are placed within the housing and are allowed to freely expand. The bottom wall 12 of the stamp moistener is bounded on one side by the rear end portion 13, which is bent up on the dotted line 14, as shown in Figure 4, in curved formation to provide a rear or back wall for the rece tacle in which is contained the water used or moistening the pad. This reservoir 15 is of substantially triangular formation and the side walls thereof are formed by bending the part 7 on the line 16 and the triangular portion may embody the same 7 portion 17 and at its opposite side to the side wall 7. This folding operation in order to form the receptacle being evident upon inspection of Figure 1, which shows the front piece 19 providedwvith a notch 21 which when the end 22 of said piece 19 abuts against the rear portion 13 and is soldered thereto will provide an opening through which can be dropped the moistening thread which forms an extended portion on the nioistening. pad member, and through which the reservoir can be filled.

The obliquely disposed front 19 of the stamp moistencr is provided at its rear end with a depression 23 inclining downwardly from thcnotch 21 and in which is disposed apiece of moisture absorbing material 24, which has passed therethrough the cord or string 25, the end of which is threaded through a bar of rubber or bakelite 26 which is dropped through the opening 21 in said front piece. This piece of heavy material 26 will not be corroded or rotted by the water and will maintain the cord 25 near the bottom of the reservoir 15, whereby the water will slowly be absorbed through the pad 24 and will not require constant filling of the reservoir. The front portion 19 adjaoent the depression 23 is bent upon itself as at 27 to form a lip and has abutting thereagainst a ridge piece 28, which is soldered or otherwise suitably secured on the face 19 and which provides a'support for the stamps as they are drawn off the moisture pad and placed upon the object to which they are to be attached; It is understood that said bar 26 is made of a piece of rubber or other non-corroding material and- 1s used only as a support for the string 25.

Then the string 25 is fastened to the bar 26, it makes it easy to drop it m the reservoir 15 and stay on the bottom and absorb the water to last drop.

It will be evident upon inspection of Figure 2 that the stamps or labels 11 are drawn through the opening 10 in the housing 5 and are drawn across the stamp inoistening pad 2st and down] over the ridged piece 28 to be fastened to the letter or package. It will be also'evident that the stamps can be manipulated by holding the container in the right hand and with the forefinger of the left hand pushing the stamps across the moistening pad and down over the ridge piece to fasten them to the object to which they are to be attached.

It is also evident that I have provided a I therein,

stamp moistener and container which can be made of one piece bent and soldered to form a water tight reservoir a moistening pad holding portion and a stamp pathway over which the moistened stamps may be drawn. The housing member in which the stamp roll is held may be fastened to the moisteni'ng device in any suitable manner, such for instance, as with extended clip portion or by soldering as shown in Figure 3.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that in practice various alterations thereinmay be made. I, therefore, reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the corl'eiated parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A stamp or label moistener comprising a housing for the stamps, a triangular-- shaped reservoir being a continuation of the housing having an inclined top wall, a portion of which having a depression arranged a-nda moistening pad arranged in the depression with its active top surface arranged in substantially the same inclined plane as the top. wall, said pad having a portion thereof in contact with the water within the reservoir. Y

2. A stamp or label moistener comprising a cylindrical housing, a triangular-shaped reservoir having its top wall and bottom wall arranged in substantially tangential relation with said housing, a portion of the top wall being formed witha depression arranged below the top wall, a moistening pad arranged in the depression with its moistening surface arranged substantially tangential to the housing and in approximately the same inclined plane with said top wall, and a weighted element positioned within the water in the reservoir and connected to the pad to feed water thereto by capillary attraction. p

3. A stamp or label moistener comprising, in combination, a stampreceiving housing, a reservoir formed from a stamping having a bottom wall, a rear wall a continuation of the bottom wall, a topwall a continuation of the bottom wall and extending at an angle thereto and secured to said rear wall, and side walls, one of which having a circular portion forming an end for the housing and the other recessed to receive the housing, said top wall formed with a depression extending inwardly of the reservoir to be positioned below the top wall, and a pad in the depression.

4. In combination, a stamp-receiving housing of cylindrical formation, a triangular shaped reservoir extending therefrom having a vertically inclining depression in the top wall thereof, said depression communicating with the interior of the reservoir through a notch at the highest point of said depression, a pad arranged in the depression, and a moisture feeding element suspended through said notch and connected to the uppermost portion of the pad.

5. A casing member for stamp moisteners consisting of a single piece of sheet metal and having a rectangular bottom wall, a pair of side walls extending from the side edges of the bottom wall and bent upwardly at right angles thereto, each of said side walls having its upper edge inclined upwardly and rearwardly from a respective front corner of the bottom wall, one of the side walls having its rear part extended to i provide a. circular portion and the other side wall having its rear edge defined by a concave arc, a rear wall extending from the rear. edge of the bottom wall and bent up- Wardly to conform to the concave arc, and a top wall extending from the front edge of the bottom wall and bent to have its forward side edges conform to the top edges of, the side walls, said top wall being bent to extend upwardly a short distance at its middle part and then downwardly to form the front wall of a pad depression, the rear of the top wall being bent to extend rearwardly from said depression wall substantially parallel to the top edges of the side walls.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN RUZE. a 5. 

